Esotropia. Xanthodont. Pogoniasis. Quotidian. These are just a few of the more than 300 words Cassandra Li studied in preparation for the Western Maryland HealthSpell, a spelling bee that used health terminology. The 13-year-old Hagerstown resident spelled more than 100 words correctly before misspelling "immunodeficiency" to win second place in the June 4 spelling bee in Frostburg, Md. For her second-place finish, Cassandra won a $2,000 college scholarship. The daughter of Lieyu and Huiyu Li, Cassandra will be an eighth-grader in the fall.

SMITHSBURG - The final competition of the Smithsburg Middle School geography bee was held in January and when the dust cleared, three students came out on top. Tymon Walker-Cameron was the first-place winner, Lauren Greenwood took second place and Natalie Kauffman came in third. To qualify for the Maryland State Geography Bee, Tymon must have one of the top 100 scores on a written test completed after the school's geography bee is over. o In other competition at Smithsburg Middle, Chris Henderson and Jacob Moore finished first and second in the school's spelling bee for sixth-graders.

Two home-schooled students ended up dueling for the Washington County eighth-grade spelling bee title Saturday afternoon. Students from Saint Mary's School in downtown Hagerstown won the sixth- and seventh-grade spelling contests. Kevin Roberts, 14, who lives near Sandy Hook, correctly spelled "savorous" and "Pisces" to win the eighth-grade competition and a free trip to Washington to compete in the national spelling bee. Roberts, who also won a dictionary, a $100 U.S. Savings Bond, a trophy, a gift certificate and computer software, said he wasn't nervous during the contest.

1. Stories at Renfrew Children will gather under the tree near the visitors center to hear stories and enjoy related hands-on activities. For children in preschool and older, accompanied by an adult. Sponsored by Renfrew Institute. 1 p.m. Tuesdays, June 25 through Aug. 13. Renfrew Museum and Park, 1010 E. Main St., Waynesboro, Pa. Parking is in the lower lot off Welty Road. If it rains or for information, call 717-762-0373. 2. 'Spelling Bee' in Pa. “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is a comedy about adolescent overachievers' angst played out at a spelling bee. Trinity United Church of Christ of Waynesboro, Pa., presents a family-friendly version.

Preparing for this week's Scripps National Spelling Bee, Jade Lee said she doesn't really like spelling, but she enjoys memorizing. Jade probably won't be asked to spell pygmy puff or puffskein - the type of Harry Potter terms she likes to memorize - in the national spelling bee. Although bezoar - an object referenced in Harry Potter movies and in the dictionary - was one of the words in the county spelling bee, the Smithsburg Middle School eighth-grader...

Heritage Academy held its annual in-school spelling bee Jan. 9. Students in grades four to eight competed for the privilege to advance to the district meet sponsored by American Christian Schools International. Winners from grades six to eight also participated in the Washington County Spelling Bee. The fourth-grade spelling bee lasted 47 rounds, with the top two students continuing for 40 rounds after all other spellers were out.

Jade Lee and Evan Reese have big shoes to fill when it comes to spelling. Each has an older sibling who has won the Washington County Spelling Bee and gone on to compete at Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. Saturday at the 2012-2013 Washington County Spelling Bee at Western Heights Middle School, the two not only filled the shoes, but to varying extents, followed in their footsteps. Jade, 13, of Leitersburg, won the eighth grade contest and will move on to compete in Washington, D.C. Evan, 13, of Greencastle, Pa., a student at Heritage Academy, was first runner-up.

Teens Have Choices will have a team spelling bee from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12, at Bridge of Life, 6 S. Potomac St., in downtown Hagerstown. Rather than individuals competing against one another, adult spelling bees are team competitions, with the members of the team consulting with one another before submitting the spelling they think is correct. The result is a combination of friendly competition and team spirit. Teens may form a team to compete against their parents, teachers, coaches, or friends from other schools.

In preparing to travel to Landover, Md., for a district spelling bee last Monday, I was looking over the volunteer positions that had been assigned to teachers. Much to my surprise, under the sixth-grade bee assignments, there I was: Spelling Master. The job sounds more ominous than it is. It basically involves being able to pronounce words correctly, use them in sentences and listen closely as a student states each letter. The Spelling Master also has the job of breaking the news to the speller: In a positive way: “That is correct.” Or, in a negative way: “I'm sorry.